Game report: LSU 42, Missouri 7

LSU running back Derrius Guice, who rushed for yards and three touchdowns in 17 carries, ran to the end zone ahead of Missouri safety Thomas Wilson in the first half of Saturday’s game.
Max Becherer
The Associated Press

First quarter

Second quarter

The key: Guice, who briefly went to the locker room early in the quarter after his second touchdown run, galloped 37 yards untouched for his third touchdown of the first half and a 21-0 halftime lead. He had 13 carries for 136 yards before halftime.

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Third quarter

The key: LSU owned more than a 6 1/2-minute advantage in time of possession during the third quarter and had a 20-minute edge through three quarters. Missouri only had possession for 17:27 compared to 42:33 for LSU.

Fourth quarter

The key: Mizzou avoided the shutout when senior wide receiver Eric Laurent, who started his career as a walk-on quarterback, tossed a 21-yard touchdown pass to sophomore starting quarterback Drew Lock.

The grades

Offense

F

Three three-and-outs to start the game weren’t ideal, and it scarcely got better from there. Missouri finished with 265 total yards in a performance worthy of 2015.

Defense

F

Missed tackles piled up early, and LSU shredded Mizzou’s defense on the ground, while coverage struggles on underneath routes persisted.

Special teams

C-

Chris Black almost muffed a punt, but punter Corey Fatony averaged 44.1 on eight punts, including six downed inside the 20-yard line.

Coaching

F

Mizzou’s offense wasn’t able to exploit any aspect of LSU’s defense, and J’Mon Moore touched off a sideline-clearing shoving match as halftime arrived by tapping LSU senior cornerback Tre’Davious White in the face mask with the ball in his hand after a meaningless 16-yard catch.

Takeaways

Player of the game: LSU junior running back Derrius Guice averaged 9.6 yards per carry, racking up 163 yards and three touchdowns in 17 carries with an array of video-game moves.

Reason to hope: Missouri can’t lose next week as the team enters a bye week, and first-year offensive coordinator Josh Heupel’s side avoided a goose egg.

Reason to mope: Some reporters declared that Mizzou’s offense was legit, capable of scoring against anyone. LSU disproved that theory, outgaining Mizzou 357-110 and owning a 19-5 edge in first downs during the first half.

Looking ahead: The road doesn’t get any easier after the off week with a trip to “The Swamp” for a meeting with reigning SEC East champion Florida on Oct. 15.

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